Personally the diabetes comparison was one of the things that got through to me early on. Lifestyle choices profoundly affect the severity of that disease... just as they do with alcoholism/addiction. You could say that someone who gets Type II diabetes as a result of overeating for years and putting on weight "caused" their own disease too... but there are factors beneath the surface... anxiety (for me), abuse, genetics, environment, self-medication, the impact that using physically has on your brain and/or body, etc. I understand the resistance to making people feel even more hopeless... but I think it also makes people see that abstinence and working a program are NECESSARY to stay well. Just my two cents. But I'm still early in sobriety.